Recently the championship HC from The Spring League’s Linemen spoke to John Lewis of Louisville, KY’s WDRB about coaching in the XFL, The Spring League, and potentially the USFL.
Mumme is a name synonymous with a high-powered passing attack. Nicknamed the Air Raid system, Hal made it famous at the University of Kentucky with Tim Couch as his QB. Later in his career, he hooked back up with a well-known coach in college football, by the name of Bob Stoops, but this time, they were coaching pro football – the XFL.
Mumme was the offensive coordinator for Bob Stoops for the Dallas Renegades, who famously broke his leg on the sidelines, yet continued to coach. He shares a little of that story with John here:
“I knew I had burst that bursa sac, and I felt that break whenever I hit the ground. Now I didn’t know my leg was fractured but I did know I broken that bursa sac. Now there isn’t really anything you can do for that, you just tough it out. Later that night when they took me to the emergency room, they x-rayed it and it was a hairline fracture at the top of the tibia.”
Hal Mumme
After COVID-19 ended the season for the XFL, Mumme joined the Spring League; a camp that is set up like a league and forms teams in hub sites, coached by the likes of Mumme, Jerry Glanville, Bart Andrus.
Mumme joined for the 2021 season, and coached the Linemen, who would end up being the champions. Here is Hal’s thoughts about the opportunity for not just him, but the players as well:
“Particularly with the pandemic, and these guys that came out in ’18 and’19, really didn’t have a fair shot at getting in a pro camp. These guys really got cheated out of it, so I think The Spring League was really important this year, and a lot these players are gonna get signed.”
Linemen HC Hal Mumme
We have seen that thus far. Many guys who participated in TSL have gone on to sign in other professional leagues such as the CFL, the NFL, and the ELF. John asked what his next plans were, with the upcoming USFL, and the potential merger of the XFL and CFL, Mumme shared his thoughts on that as well:
“Yeah I’d like to be in the USFL. I really would. Hopefully, that’ll work out. I’m like you, I remember when the original USFL came along, it was so much fun, coaches really loved it because it gave us a chance to participate and watch the NFL. I’m a big believer in football year-round.”
Hal Mumme
One of his claims to fame is the Air Raid offense. Now, they have training for coaches, where guys can actually receive Air Raid Certification, which allows them to accurately implement that style of offense, and run the scheme properly.
“It was really the brainchild of my partner, AJ Smith – Smith worked with Stoops and Mumme in Dallas – we was Jerry Glanville’s offensive coordinator in The Spring League, but he’s work with me also. But, he came to me and said,’why don’t we turn this into a business model, and make it a certification. Now we have over 600 in over a year.”
Mumme on AJ Smith’s role in the Air Raid offense
There have already been rumors about who the USFL are targeting for their HCs, we know Glanville will be in San Diego scouting at the HUB Football CAMP event for the league. Spurrier is a name that has been thrown around, and no doubt Bob Stoops could be someone on that list.
But don’t rule out AJ Smith. We talk to him next, so make sure you catch that as we try to get everyone’s take on what comes next, after The Spring League.
